Toast - SMP Silver Salon Forums

SM Publications

Silver Salon Forums - The premier site for discussing Silver.

SMP | Silver Salon Forums | SSF - Guidelines | SSF - FAQ | Silver Sales

In this Forum we discuss the silver of the United Kingdom, as well as British Colonial silver and Old Sheffield Plate.

Past British - Irish Sterling topics/threads worth a look.

How to Post Photos

Want to be a Moderator?

SMP Silver Salon Forums
tline

British / Irish Sterling
tline3

Toast

profile | register | preferences | faq | search

SSFFriend: Email This Page to Someone!

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Author	Topic: Toast
Hose_dk Posts: 400 Registered: May 2008	posted 07-16-2009 01:36 AM [08-0588] I know what toast is. We eat 3 or 4 pieces of this thin and square bread. 3 to 4 pieces for a person. But eating habits differs in time and place. This question is not really for this forum. Perhaps more for a historic cook forum. But I don't understand how did people use these? History - how old are these very useful things. In fact I asked in the train and the taxi driver. But is a toast rac individual. Is there one for each member of the family or 3 slices for the husband and the last triangle for his wife? I cannot get enough by eating 4 triangles of bread - 1 slice in total :-) Anyhow Birmingham - Synyer og Beddoes - 1914. IP: Logged
agphile Posts: 798 Registered: Apr 2008	posted 07-16-2009 11:34 AM Toast racks first appeared in England towards the end of the 18th century. The early ones that I have seen were larger than your small example which is indeed for one or two people. If you have more people than this round the table you need more toast racks. Your rack would hold four full slices if it is left to the individual to cut them up (which is how we manage it at home – more elegant households might halve the slices before placing them in the rack). If you wanted more toast than this, you (or your servant!) would make more toast while the first lot is being eaten. This gives a better chance of the toast still being hot enough when you eat it. Traditionally toast would be eaten with a full English breakfast, for example porridge followed by bacon and eggs. As a result many of us would find the toast in a rack like yours quite enough, but perhaps Danes have greater appetites? Of course, it is not a rule that toast can only be eaten at breakfast. It can be a nice part of a mid-morning, mid-afternoon or late evening snack. You can, if you wish, enjoy your toast and your attractive rack – I like the design – all day long. IP: Logged
Hose_dk Posts: 400 Registered: May 2008	posted 07-16-2009 12:12 PM Yes I suppose that cut into half could do. That doubles capacity compared to cut in 4. My thought was how to carry this elegant. In order to grab the handle they fit in 4 - but they could be with the long end at side. I bought this one during our cruise last week - we went from Copenhagen and called 8 ports in 10 days. Dover two times so we visited London and Canterbury where I got this one - and a beautiful magnifying glass - is it not nice? My wife gave me this. We where in Brugge and saw 3 in a window - shoppe closed - but in Canterbury. So she gave me this. Now I can study silver in a dignified way Birmingham Chrisford & Norris 1919. IP: Logged
agphile Posts: 798 Registered: Apr 2008	posted 07-16-2009 04:16 PM Sounds like a nice cruise, especially as you managed to bring these silver souvenirs home with you. IP: Logged
Dale Posts: 2132 Registered: Nov 2002	posted 07-16-2009 05:50 PM My understanding of the old system of serving is that toast was continuously produced at the dining room fireplace. The servant would bring in a full rack of toast, offer it to the diners and then go to the fireplace and begin to toast bread. There are old devices for doing this, they look a bit like a metal rack for pamphlets, and were portable. It does not appear that the toast rack was meant to sit on the table but rather be carried about. IP: Logged
agphile Posts: 798 Registered: Apr 2008	posted 07-16-2009 06:50 PM That sounds right, particularly for larger and wealthier households, but I think it is the larger toast racks that would have been used for service like this. Smaller racks such as the one here were surely placed before individuals or couples, or used when you had a tray brought up to your room. I don't know whether it is relevant that the first, rudimentary electric toasters had appeared by 1914 but that might explain why smaller toast racks became popular. IP: Logged

All times are ET	next newest topic \| next oldest topic
Administrative Options: Close Topic \| Archive/Move \| Delete Topic
	Hop to:

Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46a

^1. Public Silver Forums (open Free membership) - anyone with a valid e-mail address may register. Once you have received your Silver Salon Forum password, and then if you abide by the Silver Salon Forum Guidelines, you may start a thread or post a reply in the New Members' Forum. New Members who show a continued willingness to participate, to completely read and abide by the Guidelines will be allowed to post to the Member Public Forums.
Click here to Register for a Free password

^2. Private Silver Salon Forums (invitational or $ donation membership) - The Private Silver Salon Forums require registration and special authorization to view, search, start a thread or to post a reply. Special authorization can be obtained in one of several ways: by Invitation; Annual $ Donation; or via Special Limited Membership. For more details click here (under development).

^3. Administrative/Special Private Forums (special membership required) - These forums are reserved for special subjects or administrative discussion. These forums are not open to the public and require special authorization to view or post.

| Home | Order | The Guide to Evaluating Gold & Silver Objects | The Book of Silver